Fence-making machine.



PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

\ A. K. KELLER.

FENCE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1904.

4 SHBETSSHEBT 1.

Witnesses.-

PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

A. K. KELLER. FENCE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1904.

4 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

A. K. KELLER. FENCE MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

K687165565- t 22f .A'zeys.

4 'No. 786,364. 7 PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

- A. K. KELLER,

FENCE MAKING MACHINE.

' AlflPI-IUATIOI Hum JAN. 26, 1904.

aims-sum 4.

In 2162602? Witnesses:

ays.

UNITED STATES Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT OF ICE.

ALBERT K. KELLER, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN. 4

FENCE-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 786,364, dated April 4, 1905.

Application filed January 26, 1904. Serial No. 190,654.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALBERT K. KELLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Adrian, Lenawee county, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.-

In the manufacture of wire fence where the wires are fastened together by buckles 0r ties as distinguished from wire fence in which the wires are woven it has been usual to employ machines of the plunger typethat is, machines in which the clenching of the buckles around the intersections of the wires is effected by the operation of one or more diecarrying plungers. In such machines the fence-forming wires are generally fed across a suitable table or the like with the buckles or ties in place at the intersections of the wires, and as the wires are moving across the table the dies are brought down by the plungers upon the buckles or ties to clench them around the wires and bind the wires together. The action of such a machine is of necessity intermittent, the feeding being stopped each time a clenching of the buckles around the wires takes place. Again, the action of the dieplungers upon the wires at the joints generally kinks the wires at these points or otherwise weakens them, so that when the fence is stretched buckles are ripped off and individual wires are often parted. Furthermore, the action of these machines being retarded, as they are, by constant stopping, is slow and i the output therefore exceedingly limited.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a machine to perform work of like general character with a greater degree of perfection and speed, and therefore with a greater degree of efiiciency. For this purpose the plungers have been eliminated, and a machine of a rotary character, in which the feeding is always uniform and uninterrupted and the speed of which is constant during the whole cycle of operations, is provided.

A detailed description of the machine will follow; but first the drawings will be referred to, with reference to which the description will be made.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a viewin side elevation of a machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, upon a still larger scale of one of the spiders or drums forming a part of the rotary member upon which the wire is received and of the corresponding parts of the cooperating rotary member for feeding the cross or stay wires and for clenching the buckles which are fed into the machine from a hopper also shown. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views in elevation of a part of one of the cooperating rotary members and a portion of the large rotary member, showing the arrangement of dies in said members. Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the dies. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a side elevation and a plan view of one of the buckles or ties for uniting the wires together, and Fig 9 is a plan view of a section of fence which the machine is designed to construct.

Mounted upon a suitable base a is the frame of the machine, which frame comprises in general two side plates 5, suitably braced and bolted together by rods 6. Journaled in the upper part of frame-plates 6 which for convenience in construction are made detachable from the lower part of the frame, is a shaft 0, to which power is imparted from a drivingshaft (Z through a worm cl and worm-gear d", secured, respectively, to the driving-shaft and the main shaft, the shaft (Z being supported in suitable bearings (Z screwed to the frame.

Upon the main shaft care secured a plurality of spiders or drums 0, corresponding in number to the number of strands of longitudinal wire in the fence to be constructed. These spiders or drums form a substantially cylindrically-shaped rotary member, and it will be obvious that, so far as the operation of the machine is concerned, these spiders or drums might be replaced by a single drum covering the space which they occupy, or, in other words, the rotary member may be provided with a continuous periphery; but for convenience of construction the present arrangement seems preferable. In the periphery of each spider is a circular groove 0 in which the longitudinal strands of wire are received from a reel of wire, (indicated at 0 in Fig. 1.) Before entering the machine the wire is preferably straightened by winding it upon a drum, such as is indicated at f in Fig. 1, or otherwise in any suitable manner. The periphery of each spider is also provided with one or more dies 9, to each of whicha buckle is delivered at each revolution of the rotary member, these dies assisting, as will presently be explained, to clench the buckles around the wires. As many of these dies may be employed in the periphery of each spider as may be desired. In the present case the periphery of each spider is divided into six equal parts and a die is located at each point of division, the corresponding dies in each spider lying in the same line which is parallel to the shaft 0. The dies are each preferably of the form shown in Fig. 6, and each die is secured in a cross-cut 0 made in the periphery of the I spiders at each point of division, the depth of the out being preferably just sufficient to permit a buckle dropped therein upon the die to lie whollybeneath the periphery of the spider. Each die g, as will be seen from Fig. 6, has a groove g and agroove g crossing each other. As these dies lie in the several cross-cuts in the peripheries of the spiders, the several grooves g register with the grooves c in the peripheries of the respective spiders c, the grooves 0 being of the same dimensions as the grooves g.

The buckles h, which are provided one upon another in the hoppers it, are formed as described in an application for Letters Patent.

filed by me on January 11, 1904, Serial No. 1823, 187, and are bent into the form shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In such form they easily slide from their respective hoppers into the dies g in the periphery of the several spiders c as these dies reach the hoppers in the revolution of the rotary member. The four ears h upon the buckles project above the dies, and the tops of the ears are substantially flush with the peripheries of the spiders. As the rotary member revolves with shaft 0 the buckles which are deposited one by one upon the dies, as just described, are carried along until they reach approximately the top of the rotary member, when the longitudinal wires 2' are fed into the grooves c and into and through the buckles in said grooves, guards 7' being provided between the hoppers and the tops of the spiders to prevent the buckles from being thrown out of their seats by any jar or sudden impulse of the machine. At this point means are provided to deliver to the rotary member a transverse stay or cross wire 1;, which is also laid into the buckles as they reach the top of the machine, the longitudinal wires being fed in one general direction and the cross-wires, as will be obvious from the drawings, in a direction transverse to said general direction. For this purpose a hopper Z is provided which contains the transverse or cross wires 7r, arranged one above another, Fig. 3, and a second rotary member is provided for delivering the transverse or stay wires one by one from the hopper to the rotary member upon shaft 0. This second or smaller rotary member is constructed, as far as general features are concerned, like the rotary member on shaft 0, being provided with disks m, secured to a shaft 712., which is parallel with shaft 0, each disk being in the same plane with the corresponding spider upon shaft 0. Each disk has a circular flange 971. which meshes with a recess 0 in the corresponding spider, Figs. 4 and 5, the grooves 0 being within the recesses 0" and grooves m being formed in the flanges. These grooves o m are each semicircular and when brought together by the meshing of the flange with the recesses in the spiders, Figs. 4 and 5, form an opening of proper dimension to permit the passage of one of the longitudinal fence-wires. At each one of the flanges in the periphery of the second or smaller-rotary member is a die m", similar in construction to die 9, but mounted, as shown in Fig. 4, with its surface substantially in the plane of the outer surface of the flange, while it extends beyond both sides of the flange, Fig. 5. Each disk on the smaller rotary member has a circumference equal to one-sixth of the circumference of the larger rotary member, and accordingly as the rotation of both members takes place the dies upon the smaller rotary member will be brought down upon the dies of the larger rotary member in succession, and, as will be obvious, particularly from Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the dies upon the small rotary member will mesh with the cross recesses or cuts upon the larger rotary member and will always center the dies upon one member with respect to the dies in the other member, notwithstanding the fact that these members may gradually work loose in their bearings or that backlash maybe developed in the drivinggears. The d rivinggearing for the smaller rotary member comprises a gear m, mounted upon the shaft m and meshing with the gear o upon shaft 0, the ratio between the sizes of these gears being one to six. In this way the smaller rotary member will rotate six times while the larger member is rotated once, and at each rotation of the smaller member a stay or cross wire will drop from its hopper into a transverse groove formed by the grooves in the dies m and will be carried around down and deposited into the buckles in the dies at the top of the larger rotary member. Shields or guards a are provided on one side of the disks m to retain the stay-wires as they are delivered downward into the buckles from their ICO hopper. As the buckles move forward through the dies it will be obvious that they will be clenched about the intersections of the wires which they embrace, the projecting ears 71.2 upon the buckles coming into contact with the curved surfaces of the grooves in the dies upon the smaller member and being bent over and down, as will be seen upon reference to the drawings. In practice it is found preferable to have a series of clenching-dies, each succeeding die in the series being shaped differently or being more perfectly adjusted than the preceding die in the series. so that the clenching may take place gradually. Accordingly in the present case three more rotating members 0, p, and r are provided, being similar in most respects to the smaller rotary members previously described, but being adjusted to bring their dies somewhat closer to the dies on the larger rotary member, the adjustment of each succeeding die, however, being somewhat more perfect than the adjustment of the preceding die, whereby the clenching of the buckles around the intersections of the wire is gradually efi'ected. These additional rotating members may be provided with driving-gears. as 0' p 0', which mesh with the gear o Furthermore, the grooves in the dies upon the rotary member upon shaft m are slightly varied from a perfect semicircular shape to somewhat of a V shape in order to more readily bend the ears if on the buckles over and down in the first instance.

It is usually customary in fence of the general character which this machine is adapted to make to crimp the longitudinal wires thereof. For this purpose a (crimper indicated at a in Figs. 1 and 2) may be provided through which the fence will pass as it emerges from the lower end of the larger rotary member. This crimper, as indicated in Fig. 1, may be driven by gear 0 through the gears 25 and a. A suitable reel 1' may be provided in the frame 5 upon which the fence may be wound, a chain on, having spurs w to engage the outer winding of the fence upon the reel, being also provided to rotate the reel. This chain, as shown, travels upon rollers 10 and 20 suitably mounted upon the frame, and is driven by the gear u,\vhich meshes with the roller 20 The operation of the machine has been sufficiently set forth in the foregoing description, audit will be unnecessary toenlarge upon the same in detail at this point. In starting the machine the ends of the longitudinal wires may be secured to the reel, which is then turned by the chain 20. As the larger rotary member revolves, buckles will be delivered from the hoppers upon the dies as each line of dies is brought beneath the discharge-openings of the hoppers. The buckles are then carried beneath the smaller rotating member at the top of the machine, where thc longitudinal wires are fed into the machine and into the buckles upon the dies, while at the same time a transverse or stay wire is delivered by the smaller rotary member into the buckles upon the dies. As the machine continues to revolve, the buckles, which now embrace the intersections of the longitudinal and transverse wires, are carried between the dies in the two rotary members, which dies are brought together and centered in the manner heretofore described. The cars upon the buckles are bent over and down upon the wires in the manner also described hereinbefore, although the clenching, as has been stated, is preferably not perfected at this point, inasmuch as it is found preferable to gradually effect the clenching. As the machine still further revolves, the intersections, which have only been partially joined by the bending over of the ears upon the buckles, are brought successively between the dies of the larger rotary member and the dies, respectively, of the rotating members 0, p, and 1'. The completed fence is then discharged from the machine to a crimper, if desired, and then reeled in any suitable manner.

It will be obvious that the auxiliary mechanismssuch as the feeding devices for the buckles, the crimper, the reeling device, &c. may be varied and in some cases omitted. and accordingly the invention is not limited to these devices or to any specific forms of these devices. Many other parts of the machine may obviously be constructed and arranged in a different manner from that which has been shown and described.

While the invention hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings is described and shown in connection with the manufacture of fence, yet it is of course to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the manufacture of fence per ac and that wherever the word fence is used in the specification and claims it is used to include fence per s0 and generically the product or fabric produced by the invention to whatever use it may be put, the machine embodying the invention being of course adapted to be used to tie or join wire together for any purpose or use to which the joined wire may be suited-as, for example, to form a network of wire to be used as a skeleton or frame for a cement wall or the like, such as is used in engineering and similar operations.

I claim as my invention- V 1. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a rotary member for receiving the strands of wire, a second rotary member, means on the second rotary member to deliver wire to the first rotary member, and means to form the fence.

2. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a rotary member of wire, a second rothe second rotary join the wires together to for receiving the strands tary member, means on member to deliver wire to the first rotary member, and means also on the second rotary member to join the wires together to form the fence.

3. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a rotary member for receiving the strands of wire, a second rotary member, means on the second rotary member to deliver wire to the first rotary member, means to deliver buckles or ties to the first rotary member, and means also on the second rotary member to clench the buckles or ties around the wires to form the fence.

4. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a rotary member for receiving the strands of wire, means to deliver wire in one general direction to the retary member, a second rotary member, means on the second rotary member to deliver wire to the first rotary member in a direction transverse to said general direction, and means to join the two strands of wire together to form the fence.

5. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of .a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular grooves, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a transverse groove and mounted adjacent to the first rotary member with its axis parallel thereto, means to deliver a strand of wire to each groove in the first rotary member, means to deliver wire to the transverse groove in the second rotary member, means to rotate both members to bring the wire in the transverse groove across the strands of wire in the parallel grooves, and means to fasten the wires together to form the fence.

6. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular grooves, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a corresponding number of dies and mounted adjacent to the first rotary member with its axis parallel thereto, means to deliver a strand of wire to each groove in the first rotary member, means to deliver wire to the dies in the second rotary member, a die in each groove of the first rotary member adapted to cooperate with the corresponding die in the second rotary member, and means to deliver buckles or ties to the machine.

7. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular grooves, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a corresponding number of dies and mounted adjacent to the first rotary member with its axis parallel thereto, means to deliver a strand of wire to each groove in the first rotary member, means to deliver wire to the dies in the second rotary member, a die in each groove of the first rotary member adapted to cooperate with the corresponding die in the second rotary member, and means to deliver buckles or ties to the dies of the first-named member before the wire is delivered thereto.

8. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular grooves, a plurality of cylind rieall y-shaped rotary members each having a number of dies corresponding to the number of circular grooves in the first rotary member and being mounted adjacent to the first rotary member with their axes parallel thereto, means to deliver a strand of wire to each groove in the first rotary member, means to deliver wire to the dies in one of the secondnamed rotary members, a die in each groove of the first rotary member adapted to cooperate with the corresponding dies in each of the second-named rotary members, and means to deliver buckles or ties to the machine.

9. In a machine for manufacturing Wire fence, the combination of a rotary member having a plurality of grooves, dies in each of the grooves, means to deliverbuckles or ties to the dies, means to deliver strands of wire to the grooves, a second rotary member having dies to cooperate with the first-named dies, means to deliver cross-wires to the dies in the second-named rotary member, the dies in the second-named rotary member operating to deliver the cross-wires to the buckles in the dies of the first-named rotary member and cooperating with the dies in the first-named rotary mem ber to clench the buckles around the wires.

10. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular recesses, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a corresponding number of parallel circular flanges, said members being mounted with their axes parallel and with each flange meshing with its corresponding recess, means to deliver wire and buckles to said recesses, and means in said recesses and upon said flanges to join the wires together to form the fence.

11. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular recesses in its periphery, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a corresponding number of circular flanges upon its periphery, each of said flanges being formed with a groove, and each of the recesses having a groove, said members being mounted with their axes parallel and With each flange meshing with its corresponding recess, means to deliver a strand of wire to the grooves in the recesses, means to deliver buckles or ties to the recesses, and means in the recesses and upon said flanges to join the Wires together to form the fence.

12. In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of parallel circular recesses in its periphery, a die in each of said recesses, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a corresponding number of circular flanges in its periphery, a die in the second rotary member at each flange to cooperate with the firstnamed dies, said members being mounted with their axes parallel and with each flange meshing with its corresponding recess, means to deliver wire to the recesses, and means to deliver buckles to the dies in the first-named rotary member.

13. 'In a machine for manufacturing wire fence, the combination of a cylindricallyshaped rotary member having a plurality of recesses in its periphery, and a cross-cut in its periphery at each recess, a die in each cross-cut, a second cylindrically-shaped rotary member having a corresponding number of circular flanges in its periphery, a die in the second rotary member at each flange and extending beyond each side of the flange, said members being mounted with their axes parallel and with each flange meshing with the corresponding recess and the dies in the second rotary member being adapted as the members rotate to mesh with the cross-cuts in the first rotary member, means to deliver wire to the recesses in the first rotary member, and means to deliver buckles to the dies in the first rotary member.

This specification signed and witnessed this 12th day of January, A. D. 1904.

ALBERT K. KELLER.

In presence of* THEODORE M. JosLIN, J. C. JOHNSON. 

